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as being alien to God. that Christ 2.92 came from above from the unknown father, to abolish the rule and tyranny, he says, of the world-maker and demiurge here, just as, indeed, many of the heresies have declared. And this man, having been in Rome for a short time, transmitted his venom to Marcion; for which reason Marcion succeeded him. 2. And since the heresy is likewise easily exposed, our discourse concerning it will be brief. We shall begin again the refutation against him from the very things said by him. For it is clear that it is impossible for two principles to exist together. For either the two are from some one, or one is secondary and the other is the cause and principle of the secondary. Therefore, either the cause of the two will be sought, or whichever of them is the principle of the other *, as I said. And thus in every way the mind must be led back to the one, which is found to be first, from which the second or both came, as has been shown, as I said. But it is impossible for the two principles to exist together, nor is it possible for the one to be at variance with the other. For if they are at variance, they are two, and by being found as the number two they have surpassed the number one; and since the one and first number is being sought, the two are subject to the one and higher number, which is the cause of the two. For the two, which are after the number one or the one and first principle, cannot be the causes of themselves, since the unitary and highest number is always being sought. For if the two are found to be of one accord and to rejoice together and to agree with each other, with the one remaining by the good pleasure of the other, and the other rejoicing in its conjunction with the first, what is the conflict between them both? But if they are in conflict and both are equally powerful against each other at the same time, Christ who came for the abolishment of the one will no longer be able to destroy its tyranny, since it resists and is able to fight against the one above which is invisible and unnamable, and to hold out and never be able to be destroyed. 2.93 3. And the fool says that the law and the prophets are from the wicked and contrary principle, but Christ from the good one. From where then did the prophets proclaim beforehand the things prefigured concerning Christ, unless it was one and the same power that spoke in the law and in the prophets and the gospels? Just as it says, “I who speak in the prophets, behold, I am here,” and what follows. And from where did the Lord in the gospel † proclaim beforehand, saying, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me also. For he wrote about me.” And I have many things to say about testimonies, just as he who sprang up in the world by a wicked coincidence and deceived those who were deceived by him made a school for himself by gathering them. But I will pass over this too, having accomplished its destruction—as if of a spinning-top and a wasp, of the pain-causing winged beasts springing forth, scattered by a single sharpening—through the most manifest faith and saving teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, who said, “See that you are not led astray; for many false prophets will come,” and of the apostle who spoke of these same false Christs and false teachers and false brethren and made us secure; and proceeding to the next things in sequence, I will make the exposition of the others.

Against the Marcionites 22, and of the sequence 42. 1. Marcion, from whom the Marcionites are named, having taken his pretext from this aforementioned Cerdo, himself also came forth into life as a great serpent, and having deceived a great multitude, has even to this day established a school in many 2.94 ways. And the

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ὡς ἀλλοτρίαν οὖσαν θεοῦ. ἐληλυθέναι δὲ τὸν 2.92 Χριστὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἄνωθεν ἐκ τοῦ ἀγνώστου πατρός, εἰς ἀθέτησιν τῆς τοῦ κοσμοποιοῦ καὶ δημιουργοῦ ἐνταῦθα, φησίν, ἀρχῆς καὶ τυραννίδος, ὥσπερ ἀμέλει καὶ πολλαὶ τῶν αἱρέσεων ἐξεῖπαν. ὀλίγῳ δὲ τῷ χρόνῳ οὗτος ἐν Ῥώμῃ γενόμενος μεταδέδωκεν αὐτοῦ τὸν ἰὸν Μαρκίωνι· διόπερ τοῦτον ὁ Μαρκίων διεδέξατο. 2. Τῆς δὲ αἱρέσεως ὡσαύτως φωρατῆς οὔσης ἐν συντόμῳ περὶ ταύτης ἡμῖν ἔσται ὁ λόγος. ἀρξόμεθα δὲ πάλιν τῆς κατ' αὐτοῦ ἀνατροπῆς ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ λεγομένων. ὅτι μὲν γὰρ δύο ἀρχὰς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ εἶναι ἀδύνατον δῆλον. ἢ γὰρ αἱ δύο ἐκ μιᾶς εἰσί τινος ἢ ἡ μέν ἐστι δευτέρα ἡ δὲ τῆς δευτέρας αἰτία καὶ ἀρχή. ζητηθήσεται οὖν ἤτοι αἰτία τῶν δύο ἢ ὁποτέρα τούτων ἀρχὴ οὖσα τῆς ἑτέρας *, ὡς ἔφην. καὶ οὕτως ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου ἐπὶ τὴν μίαν ἀνακτέον τὴν διάνοιαν, τὴν εὑρισκομένην πρώτην, ἐξ ἧς καὶ ἡ δευτέρα ἤτοι ἀμφότεραι, καθὼς δέδεικται, ὡς ἔφην. ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ ἀδύνατον τὰς δύο ἀρχὰς ὑπάρχειν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ διαφέρεσθαι τὴν μίαν πρὸς τὴν ἄλλην δυνατόν. εἰ γὰρ διαφέρονται, εἰσὶ μὲν δύο, τῷ δὲ δύο ἀριθμῷ εὑρίσκεσθαι τὸν ἕνα ἀριθμὸν ὑπερβεβήκασι· τοῦ δὲ ἑνὸς καὶ πρώτου ἀριθμοῦ ζητουμένου αἱ δύο τῷ ἑνὶ ἀριθμῷ καὶ ἀνωτέρῳ ὑπόκεινται, τῷ αἰτίῳ τῶν δύο ὄντι. οὐ γὰρ αἱ δύο, αἱ μετὰ τὸν ἕνα ἀριθμὸν ἢ τὴν μίαν ἀρχὴν καὶ πρώτην, αἰτίαι ἑαυτῶν δύνανται εἶναι, τοῦ ἑνικοῦ ἀριθμοῦ καὶ ἀνωτάτου ἀεὶ ζητουμένου. εἰ γὰρ αἱ δύο εὑρεθήσονται μιᾶς οὖσαι συμφωνίας καὶ συγχαίρουσαι καὶ συμφωνοῦσαι ἀλλήλαις, ἐν τῷ τὴν μὲν μίαν παραμένειν τῆς ἑτέρας εὐδοκούσης καὶ τῆς ἄλλης δὲ χαιρούσης τῇ τῆς ἑτέρας συζυγίᾳ, ἡ στάσις τίς ἐστιν ἀνὰ μέσον ἀμφοτέρων; εἰ δὲ στασιάζουσι καὶ ἰσχύουσιν ἅμα ἀμφότεραι πρὸς ἀλλήλας ἐπ' ἴσης, οὐκέτι Χριστὸς ὁ ἐλθὼν διὰ τὴν ἀθέτησιν τῆς μιᾶς δυνήσεται καταλῦσαι τὴν ταύτης τυραννίδα, αὐτῆς ἀντεχούσης καὶ δυναμένης πρὸς τὴν ἄνω ἀόρατον καὶ ἀκατονόμαστον ἀγωνίζεσθαι ἀντέχειν τε καὶ μηδέποτε δυναμένης καταλύεσθαι. 2.93 3. Λέγει δὲ ὁ ἠλίθιος καὶ τὸν νόμον καὶ τοὺς προφήτας τῆς φαύλης καὶ ἐναντίας εἶναι ἀρχῆς, τὸν δὲ Χριστὸν τῆς ἀγαθῆς. πόθεν οὖν οἱ προφῆται τὰ εἰς Χριστὸν τετυπωμένα προανεφώνησαν, εἰ μὴ μία ἦν καὶ ἡ αὐτὴ δύναμις ἡ λαλήσασα ἐν νόμῳ καὶ ἐν προφήταις καὶ εὐαγγελίοις; καθάπερ λέγει «ὁ λαλῶν ἐν τοῖς προφήταις ἰδοὺ πάρειμι» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. πόθεν δὲ καὶ ὁ κύριος ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ † προανεφώνει λέγων «εἰ Μωυσῇ ἐπιστεύετε, καὶ ἐμοὶ ἂν ἐπιστεύετε. ἐκεῖνος γὰρ περὶ ἐμοῦ ἔγραψε». καὶ πολλά μοι ἔστι περὶ μαρτυριῶν λέγειν, καθὼς συναγείρας σχολὴν ἑαυτῷ ἐποίησεν ὁ ἐπὶ συγκυρήματι πονηρῷ τῷ κόσμῳ ἐπιβλαστήσας καὶ πλανήσας τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ πεπλανημένους. παρελεύσομαι δὲ καὶ ταύτην, ὡσεὶ βέμβικος καὶ πεμφρηδόνος τῶν ὀδυνοποιῶν ἐκ πετεινῶν κνωδάλων ὁρμωμένων ὑπὸ μίαν θῆξιν ἐκπετασθέντων τὴν ἀνάλωσιν ποιησάμενος διὰ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐναργεστάτης πίστεώς τε καὶ σωτηριώδους διδασκαλίας τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ εἰπόντος «βλέπετε μὴ πλανηθῆτε· πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐλεύσονται ψευδοπροφῆται» καὶ τοῦ ἀποστόλου τοῦ περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ψευδοχρίστων καὶ ψευδοδιδασκάλων καὶ ψευδαδέλφων φήσαντος καὶ ἡμᾶς ἀσφαλισαμένου· ἐπὶ τὰς ἑξῆς τε κατὰ τὴν ἀκολουθίαν προβαίνων τῶν ἄλλων ποιήσομαι τὴν ὑφήγησιν.

Κατὰ Μαρκιωνιστῶν ˉκˉβ, τῆς δὲ ἀκολουθίας ˉμˉβ. 1. Μαρκίων, ἀφ' οὗπερ οἱ Μαρκιωνισταί, ἐκ τούτου τοῦ προειρημένου Κέρδωνος τὴν πρόφασιν εἰληφὼς καὶ αὐτὸς μέγας ὄφις προῆλθεν τῷ βίῳ, πολὺ δὲ πλῆθος ἐξαπατήσας ἔτι εἰς δεῦρο εἰς πολλοὺς 2.94 τρόπους προεστήσατο διδασκαλεῖον. ἡ δὲ